


Small Soldiers

by oldcoyote (contrawise)



Category: Marvel (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-12
Updated: 2013-07-12
Packaged: 2017-12-19 06:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/880581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/contrawise/pseuds/oldcoyote
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blaine is a brave little boy, but sometimes even brave little boys need heroes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Small Soldiers

**Author's Note:**

> Small child Blaine & adult Steve friendship. Warning for bullying.

Blaine knew how to make himself smaller.

He was already small, more so than most of the boys in his class. He was getting taller every day, Coop always told him, but he knew it was mostly just to make him feel better.

He didn't mind being small at all; it meant he could fit in all the best hiding places for hide-and-go-seek. It meant he could always be picked up by his momma, or carried on Coop's back or his shoulders. No, Blaine and _small_ were very good friends.

Small kept him safer than anybody else ever had, especially now, with his knees tucked under his chin and his little chubby hands clinging to his shins as the boys ran overhead, not bothering to check the nooks in the retaining wall as they jumped over it to find him.

"Come on, Girly Anderson! Come out and play!"

He kept quiet, and hid his face in his knees.

It was the gel in his hair that caught their attention today. Yesterday it was his bow-tie, the day before it was his pink socks. Every night he'd go home and throw another handful of his clothes and his toys into his trash bin, all the things they'd noticed, and every night Cooper would fish them out again and tell him there was nothing wrong with being someone people notice.

Blaine didn't have the heart to tell Cooper how wrong he was.

The sound of more shoes slapping on the pavement echoed overhead, followed by the wet thumps of feet on grass, racing down the hill to find him. They never looked back, at least.

He sniffed quietly, wiping his tears on his grazed knees as they began to sting anew with the dirt and gravel still stuck in his skin.

It wasn't fair. He just wanted to see Captain America, he just wanted to _see him_. He wouldn't have said anything, or gotten in the way. 

He was only visiting a few of the schools in the area, and when Blaine had found out one of them was his school, he was so excited he couldn't sleep the night before. It was better than Christmas - Captain America was going to be here, in Ohio, at _his school._

He'd stared at the poster on his wall all night, his feet squirming against the sheets as he daydreamed about what it would be like. The real Captain America, in bright red and white and blue, right in front of him.

He'd worn his favorite bow-tie that morning, gelled his hair perfectly, polished his shoes. He was early for school for the first time since his first day, and he scribbled his daydreams in his notebook while he waited for the bell, _Captain Anderson, the new avenger!_

The assembly bell took forever to ring, but when it did, he'd stuffed everything into his bag and ran with the other kids.  He didn't even get across the quad before they saw him, and closed in like vultures.

_ Girly Anderson.  _

_ Captain America is for boys, not girls like you.  _

_ What did you put in your hair, Girly Anderson? Does your mommy do your hair for you? Is that your mommy's bow? _

It wasn't fair.

He'd just wanted to see him, just once.

And now he was in a hole under the retaining wall, where everything was grey and brown and cracked, crawling with bugs. Nothing here was red or blue but the torn skin on his knees.

He didn't know how long he'd been there, but it felt like forever. Everything around him had gone quiet, but he couldn't move, too afraid to do anything but press himself into the wall, crushing his backpack tight between him and the concrete. Cheers went up in the distance, a chant of _Captain, Captain!_  The assembly fizzled out after a while and another class bell rang, the noises dispersing into the distant buzz of voices and schoolbags being dragged along.

He'd missed everything.

The tears started rushing again, hot and burning on his cheeks. He tried to stay quiet, tried to muffle his sobs, but the crunch of grass nearby made him squeak in fright, and he clung tighter to himself, hiding his face. Someone was coming closer. They'd found him.

"Hello?"

It was a grown-up's voice, Blaine knew right away. He lifted his head and peered over his knees carefully, worried that a teacher would reprimand him again for getting into trouble, for _provoking_ the other boys, even though he never did.

It wasn't a teacher. Just two bright blue eyes framed by navy; a helmet, a big white A.

Blaine gasped loudly, his backpack crunching against the hard concrete as he rocked back in surprise and rubbed at his eyes. "C-Capt- ohm'god!" 

The Captain smiled softly, and reached out a big, gloved hand. "What's your name?"

Blaine looked at the hand, and reached out to take it. "B-Blaine."

"Blaine," the Captain repeated, rocking back on his feet as he helped Blaine climb out of the hole. "You look pretty hurt there. Do you want me to take you to a nurse?"

Even crouching, Captain America still looked enormous. Blaine suddenly realised just how very small he really was.

He shook his head tearfully. "M'fine," he said, straightening as much as he could. "I'm gonna get in trouble."

"No you won't," the Captain said. "I promise. What happened?"

After a moment, Blaine shook his head, eyes shamefully cast down. "Nothing."

"Did the other boys chase you?"

Blaine wobbled on his feet, and a big hand lifted to brace his shoulder, rubbing it gently.

"Yes," he admitted, but still couldn't look up. "They don't like the way I dress or ... do my hair."

"That's crazy. I think you look very handsome," the Captain said, ducking to catch Blaine's eyes.

Blaine looked up, his huge, red-rimmed eyes wide and surprised. "Y-y-you do?"

The Captain nodded. "Where I come from, all the real gentlemen dress like this," he said, carefully reaching in and straightening Blaine's bow-tie. "Boys these days wouldn't know a comb if it leapt up and bit them."

Blaine couldn't help the giggle that surged up in his chest, or the grin on his face. "Really?"

"Really," the Captain insisted, squeezing Blaine's arm gently. "Now, I'm not going to lie to you, son. Those boys are always going to be mean. They're jealous that you're more handsome than they are. Some of them just enjoy being mean, and being bullies. I've seen my fair share of bullies, believe me."

Blaine nodded, sniffing again as he listened.

"But I want you to promise me something. No matter how much they tease you, or hurt you, you have to make sure you stand up again after. Because if you don't, you're going to be hiding in that hole for a long time. And you're too special for that. Okay?"

He nodded rapidly again, tears prickling at his eyes. "I promise."

"Good man," the Captain said. "Now, how about we get you to the nurse? We need to clean up those knees."

Blaine snuffled wetly as the Captain stood, lifting him over the retaining wall like he weighed as much as a feather. His heart skipped too fast, pounding in his chest with excitement as his feet came to the ground again, and he held tight to the Captain's glove as they walked back to the main school building.

"Do your knees hurt?"

Now that Blaine thought about it, they really didn't anymore. "No."

The Captain nodded. "You'd make a good soldier, son."

Blaine grinned. "Really?"

"Really."

"Thank you, Captain 'M-Merica."

"Hey now," he said, squeezing Blaine's hand. "Why don't you call me Cap?"

Blaine's face lit up, red and tear-stained but still bright. "Thank you, Cap!"

"That's better."

They reached the paved walkway up to the main office, and Blaine wandered in front as Cap kept a reassuring hand on the back of his head. The nurse's office was just a single room, a hole in the wall with "School Nurse" stamped on a wood block hanging over the door.

"Here it is," Blaine said, turning around. "I guess I'll see you... um..."

"I'll wait here," Cap said.

"You're staying? You don't have to go?"

Cap shook his head. "I'm here as long as you need me. Do you want me to come in?"

Blaine thought about it for a moment, considering what Cap had said. He glanced into the nurse's office, and then back out again before he adjusted the straps on his shoulders and straightened up proudly. "I can do it by myself."

Cap smiled. "I know, soldier."

"Will you wait for me?" Blaine asked, his voice a little timid this time.

"Of course."

Blaine turned to wander in to the nurse, reaching out to knock lightly on the door for her attention.

"Oh, and Blaine?"

He glanced over his shoulder.

"I like your backpack," Cap said with a grin.

Blaine met it with a grin of his own. "It's my favorite."


End file.
